Heather Akana
History Huh. So, I guess now's the best time to think this all out since I've been thinking a lot, the last couple of days. Or...well they seemed like days, but in the Umbra you can never really tell. Blood-Brother and me, we've been really busy, and I think I'm finally making headway towards finding Leuk! Or at least Quiet Sun. Man this place is confus... Er, I guess I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Let me start way over. I guess all this started when I was a kid, y'know? When I was real young, mom and dad were pretty cool people. We'd go on outings, and stuff, and I think it was a pretty good family. Keia was there too, and it was ... I think it was nice. But that was so long ago, I barely remember that. Most of what I remember is after that. Dad was a drunk, jerk. He just... spiraled downwards. Not like, actual Spiraling -- I mean... I don't think he did? Oh snap, that would have made a lot of sense. But I don't think that's what happened, at any rate. So like, he got abusive, and started really wailing on mom. He did some really nasty frigging things ('scuse my French) to her, and to me. Like, seriously scarring stuff. It took me a while but I realized I couldn't stop him, pretty early on. So I started retreating instead. Mostly into books and drawing and stuff. Wasn't that great, or effective, but good enough. Anyways, so, blah blah, like most kids from bad families, I started acting out in school, and started beating kids up. That's what they'll tell you anyways. It was different, to me. I was just bored in school, is all. I mean, we did the same stuff over and over, because the dumb kids couldn't get it. And I'm not, like, super-smart or anything, but the third time you have to tell your classmates to capitalize at the beginning of a sentence in 6th grade...that's just ridiculous! The beating kids up thing is true though, but I'm not afraid to admit it. I only beat up bullies. Cause there were all these dumb kids who thought, gee, I should just, like, use my big size to get what I want! ... Kind of like most garou, I guess, but, um, we do it for a cause! That's not the point! Urm. Well, anyways, I beat them up, because they'd pick on the little ones. And geez, it really irked me! I started fighting back, is all. Things like that just tick me off. Well, anyways. My mom eventually took me aside and told me that if I were really good in seventh grade, I could have a puppy. Now, I've always been really big into huskies and stuff -- small wonder, right? But yeah, I got excited. My dad even agreed, or so I thought at the time. Anyways, I was really good, and by the last week of seventh grade I was getting antsy. But more than that, I was also getting Rage. No seriously, I was approaching First Change. And it was, unfortunately, at the mall when it happened. Apparently my kinfetch didn't stick, or something, cause they said I was a lost cub, later. Um, but, getting ahead of myself again. Got to the mall, and Dad started yelling about how we weren't having no dog or whatever, and I just... I dunno, I lost it. Right in front of the pet store. Fursplode, right there. Thank Gaia a couple of Children were there at the time. Man, two of my favorites too. They snatched me up before I could make much of a scene, and off I was carted to Quiet Sun. My elders were awesome, and patient. I was there at about the same time as this other cub, who I swear was just a Get in Unicorn's clothing. The kid didn't last long, and he went off to some other Sept I guess. In the meantime I was learning what it means to be a Child of Gaia, and a Philodox. The training was long but pretty awesome, and I worked dang hard at it. So hard that just before my Rite of Passage I was invited to a pack, when I finished up. That was awesome, actually, since Rommy and Sawyer and Stars were all my closest friends, pretty much. There was a short snafu before my Rite, that almost screwed everything up. There was a battle with some Spirals that left one of our umm metis in thrall, and I was the target. Rommy saved me though, which was great, but when the metis -- a Get -- came to apologize the next day, his contrition came in the form of a Spiral helmet. I mean... I thought it was pretty bitchin, but my elder really didn't think so. He thought it was very un-Coggie of me, I guess. I get where he was coming from, and yeah, the metis should have gave contrition to the tribe, not me, but yeah, y'know. Anyways, I convinced him that a good Philodox doesn't ignore the way that other tribes work, and somehow I guess that got through to him. So I went on my Rite. I was set to Florida, where a little sept of twelve was having trouble with its theurge. He wouldn't teach the only theurge cliath any rites because he felt she was unworthy. So I had to negotiate with him. But really, it turns out I had to negotiate with the Sept. Eventually I told the Sept that they were badgering him too much, and not listening to anything he had to say, really. He appreciated that, and soon after, I was a Cliath. I was rited into Tenacity, and life was pretty good. Well, one day I started getting some serious nightmares about my dad. It was really...well it was sucky. I couldn't sleep for a long time. That's where all this really started. We fought at the battle against Seattle, and then another packmate died and we left An for Leuk, Wind for Bear. It felt important we could fight back more, I guess. We rescued my mom soon, who'd been pretty much holed up with him since I left, and took her to the kin safehouse. Things started to pick up. But ... stuff happened on one Revel I went on. A wyrm creature raped me. And I have this thing about sex in general anyways, and I really don't like it. I was raised to think it was torture, not ... pleasure. Well, anyways. I fell apart. I couldn't keep up, and right as I was hitting bottom, I found my dad raping a woman in the city and lost it. Blood /everywhere/. I panicked, I did the wrong thing and called the police. The sept was in trouble, and I had a bazillion things to do to make it up to them. And in the meantime, our pack totems got spirited away somehow, and I had to find Leuk. And then I did. I found his scent. And poof, I was lost in the Umbra, broken and lost and afraid. Before I even knew what was happening I was swallowed by a Tree. Like, a spirit. And I found lots of other spirits inside, including a little shapechanging spirit who had no name. They told me they were used for rituals by the tree, but it was pretty much fine, except then they found out that I wasn't a spirit. I'd probably die. I started panicking, but the shapechanging spirit said he'd help me, and I named him Blood-Brother because he said we'd be like blood siblings. So, with his help, I escaped the tree. Let me rephrase -- I foxed. And ran. Smack into Unicorn, actually, who really helped me get up courage again. He gave me a place to go when I felt afraid or hurt. Then he gave him strength to rescue Blood Brother, and I did! I did it! i saved him from all the trees, and then we ran into the forest and hid in a den. I gave him gnosis, and he got much bigger, much better. He said he'd help me find home, and gosh, he's been helping me ever since. That was... a long time ago. I don't know how long anymore. Well, since then, we've mostly been trying to find Leuk, Quiet Sun, or some other hint of home, but actually, I guess I haven't been so bad off. We've been playing a lot and having a lot of fun, and I've met a lot of spirits. Some of them bad, and some of them good. We've hid out when the moon was black or the sun was out. We've gotten in and out of trouble. And I think... I think I've really liked it, the whole time. I think I might have a crush on Blood-Brother. ...Maybe the kissing gave me away. Or the holding hands. I don't know. But he's like... I dunno, he's really nice, and he's a lot like me I guess. But that's not the point! The point is... what was the point again? Oh right. He says that we're nearing a Caern node in the Umbra, about a day away, and maybe I can check it out. But I gotta confess, I'm not sure if I want to leave now. He says he'll be around but I guess a spirit of Change can't wait around forever, huh? I guess it's time to get back to the realm, to do my duties. I just hope the caern isn't Spiral territory... Shit. Plans are on hold -- I think I see a Spiral, frigg! Pleasedon'tseemepleasedon't--FUCK! Time to run! * Personality Though Heather had a short bout of depression, anxiety, and self-doubt, she's mostly recovered. She's known universally as a hyper gal, with a lot of love and a lot of spunk. She's generally pretty upbeat, always have a positive word to throw in, and tries to be as fair as possible in her judgments. It is her habit to seek the advice of others before she makes a punitive decision, though she has plenty of confidence in her abilities. Ever the optimist, Heather has persevered through her trials with aplomb. Heather does have a dark side, though it's lightened over time. Where once she had a phobia of sex, she now merely has a phobia of rape and acknowledges she simply doesn't understand consensual sex yet. She also has a blinding hatred of men she considers rapists, and will not hesitate to bring them down quickly and violently. She's extremely attached to those she considers her family -- her tribe, her pack, her friends -- and will easily leap to their aid to her physical detriment if need be. She has a new crush, something she's never truly experienced before, and it's on the Change Spirit Blood-Brother. She makes frequent trips into the Umbra to see him, often talks to him, and generally does the sort of things one does for their crush. She brings him gifts of Gnosis or material objects she's made, and of course the gift of spending time with him and essentially putting a Sept of Garou at his disposal if he's in trouble. * Playlist ** Don't Let Me Fall, by Lenka ** Fairytale, by Sara Bareilles ** Shut Up and Smile, by Bowling for Soup ** Bastard, by Ben Folds ** Can't Take It In, by Imogen Heap ** The Resolution, by Jack's Mannequin ** Look What You've Done, by Jet ** It's Been Sad, Chris Merritt * Logs: Later~ * GM Info: Blood-Brother: Heather has a big fat crush on this spirit, and considers him a very close friend to boot. She will do anything to help him, and will be irritable or frustrated if a trip she intended to take to the Umbra to see him is cut short or unscheduled entirely. She feels it's her duty to spend time with him -- and might not admit that it's what she wants as well. Phobia Due to the behavior of her father towards her mother, as well as a bad experience with the Wyrm, Heather has a fear of being raped. This extends from any situation where it looks like a bigger and more powerful man is advancing on her with anger to situations where animate vines/tentacles/whatever seem to be going for her. It's a fairly wide spectrum, and she is extremely likely to Fox Frenzy in its wake. Hatred For the same reasons she fears rape, she hates those who inflict it on others. If she witnesses someone or something advancing on another with what she considers intent to rape, she is likely to Berserk Frenzy. If the target is a friend or someone she considers family, the difficulty is reduced by 1. Sheet Renown Permanent: Glory 1 Honor 5 Wisdom 1 Temporary: Glory 0 Honor 0 Wisdom 0 Advancement ; Current +learn: * Scent of the True Form: 9/21 * From: Spirit. * Approved By: Fenris * Having had a miserable time figuring out who's Fera and who's not, Heather has finally popped into the Umbra to go asking around for help to learn the gift. Blood-Brother is her chosen compatriot to help translate, being spirit himself. ; Current +teach: * Name: Date. * To: Student. * Approved By: Wizard * Explanation goes here. ; Advancement History: * List Previous Category:Character Archive